Rich,
My last cruising boat had a vertical electric windlass mounted on a typically solid foredeck (solid as opposed to having
a hatch in it), the windlass deck pipes positioned over the deepest part of a divided chain locker. Whether using a
vertical or horizontal windlass, this is probably the most common foredeck configuration in contemporary, cruising-type
sailboats. This is what I am now emulating on Silver Heels.
Having the deck pipes directly above the deepest part of the chain locker enables the greatest amount of chain to pile
up before it reaches the underside of the deck pipe. Still, if you pile enough chain into any locker it will eventually
block the deck pipe. This happened often on my last boat, which carried lots of chain. To remedy the situation, I kept a
2′ piece of broom handle on the foredeck, which I habitually stuck into the deck pipe whenever the chain pile neared the
top of the locker when weighing anchor. A quick flick of the stick would knock over the pile inside the locker, making
room for more chain. Of course, there’s a point at which you cannot stuff more chain into any locker, but the broom
stick trick at least let me get the most possible into what I had. Knocking over the pile never once caused a chain jam.
As for buckets of water getting into the 424’s anchor locker in rough weather, what can I say? The standard foredeck /
chain locker is not an offshore design.
Tor
Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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